


Parents of the Prince

by Tactful_Fic_Addict



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2018-10-27 19:04:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10814892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tactful_Fic_Addict/pseuds/Tactful_Fic_Addict
Summary: "Elle! What in god's name are you so panicked about?" Eileen looked at her husband. She clenched her jaw and started blurting out words to see if he got the explanation. "Sev- He saved them- but, not himself- he couldn't- He killed him!! No, not too late. Need- I need to see him."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Make sure to read the Author's notes! I WILL EXPLAIN A FEW THINGS THERE!!

"No..."  

She couldn't believe it. 

 _...found with a sever snake bite on his neck..._  

It couldn't be. 

 _Few experts_ _believe_ _he will_ _survive_ _._  

Not her baby boy. 

 _S_ _e_ _rves_ _him right, he was nothing more than a dark coward._ _.._  

"Coward!?" 

She slammed the Daily Prophet on the coffee table as she stood up and ran to the living room of her small dainty house. It was not much, to the public it looked to be a rundown, broken house, just like all the ones in Spinner's End, but to those she let through the wards, it was a two story midnight blue house in well condition.  

She stumbled her way to gather her cloak when she felt a warm par of hands gently slow her down. 

"Elle! What in god's name are you so panicked about?" Eileen looked at her husband, he was well into his fifties with a slightly crooked nose, strong jaw line, and straight black hair.  

She clenched her jaw and started blurting out words to see if he got the explanation. 

"Sev- He saved them- but, not himself- he couldn't- He killed him!! No, not too late. Need- I need to see him." 

Easley after over forty years of marriage, Tobias grasped his wife's message and went for his robes Eileen bought him in case he needed to blend in to the wizarding world.  

"Wait for me, I will come with you."  

She nodded as tears formed in her black eyes. 

000000000000000000000000000000000000000 

He ran faster than anyone half his age ever had the right to. He barged into the master bedroom and tore through his closet. He wasn't stupid, something was wrong with his son. He knew ever since Sev moved out the minute he turned seventeen that something was going on it that world of his. Eileen never went near that world in fear of the prejudice in it, but Severus decided from a young age that he was a part of it and that he would fight for it.  

It wasn't until Severus was Twenty that he told them he was a spy for the light. Granted, Tobias didn't know much about magic and all that, but decades married to a which and having a wizard for a son has taught him a few things. He and Elle weren't enthusiastic at the news, in fact, Eileen insisted in Severus not stepping a foot in the Wizarding world as long as the war lasted. He still remembered the look on his son's face as he carefully explained. 

 _"I am already a part of the war, everyone is, if I run away now not only will I be a coward, I will leave the_ _safety_ _of the world in the hands of some stumbling wizards_ _barely_ _out of training. I have to be there to make sure they have decent information. Someone has to make sure_ _the_ _y_ _don't all die."_  

He wasn't sure what made Eileen realise he wasn't changing his mind, the sheer stubbornness on his face or his eyes that has already seen too much, that begged that he end everything as quick as possible. In the end, they couldn't do anything to stop him, he promised to be careful but Tobias knew that promise was invalid in battle.  

Years past and Severus visited as often as he could without risking anyone finding out, he didn't speak much about the war, he didn't want them involved, but it was enough to know it was slowly killing him. He knew Voldemort was a madman, that he treats everyone under him like vermin and tortures anyone in his way, but he knew that Sev knew what he was doing, he wouldn't have lived this long otherwise. 

 _"If he is still alive."_ He couldn't bare the thought. _"WHERE ARE MY DAMNED CLOTHES!!?_ _"_  

He rushed out the room and ran down the stairs, making a huge racket as he did so, but he couldn't bring himself to care.  He met his wife at the entrance, she hade her long black cloak wrapped around her, she didn't bother getting her robes. She held out her arm indicating him to take it. He locked their arms without a moment's hesitation and they walked out the door and they disappeared. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REMEMBER TO READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTES, I EXPLAIN ALL YOUR QUESTIONS AND THINGS THAT WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. THIS IS A AU AFTER ALL.

Eileen gasped at the sight before her. The once beautiful castle was mostly laid in ruins, the walls were collapsed and broken and there seemed to be a crying family every six feet. Hogwarts's vast property could house thousands, it seemed to serve as a refuge for students and there families. Her husband didn't say a thing, he didn't need to. They walked carefully watching where they stepped to the inside of the school, they didn't go near the Great Hall, there was no doubt that that was where all the Order members stood, attention was the last thing they wanted.  

She could faintly remember her way around the school. From the picture she saw, Severus was in a classroom that served as a temporary infirmary as the school's was over flowing. It took a minute of walking around aimlessly before she caved and let her husband ask. She kept her head down, her son took most of his features from her, from the Prince family trade mark black eyes to her roman nose (before some Gryffindor broke it, she believed it was the eldest Black boy) and high cheek bones. His face was more masculine but he looked very much like her.  

That part of the castle was reserved for criminal, those who would go straight to Azkaban once they were stable enough to go. The thought of her son going there after he did so much to save them just made her blood boil, Tobias grabbed her hand soothingly but he too was more than a little worried. The classroom was under the supervision of three Aurors and hade about twenty patients in bed. 

"Just where do you think you two are going?" The first Auror asked, his face was stern but she could still see the smugness and glee in it that shouted 'We won!' 

"We came to see our son." Tobias responded. He tried to keep his voice and face neutral but a bit of anger seeped through.  

"No can do, only the worst Death Eaters that survived are here and we are under orders to keep anyone from coming in." The second Auror looked pleased at the fact that he was left with the important job of guarding a room full of unconscious dark wizards.  

Eileen wanted to scream at them, tell them her son was no real Death Eater and he will die soon if she didn't get to him. Tobias never looked so furious either, he took a few deep breaths and turned toward her, his back at the guards. He put a finger to his lips signifying what she should do. She understood immediately and silently cast a silencing spell, moving her wand under her cloak. They were luck they were in an unused part of the castle, no one wanted to be near the attackers and no known Pureblood would risk a rescue mission. 

But they were unknown. 

As soon as Eileen gave a nod to confirm the ward was in place Tobias spun around and hit the first man directly in the jaw, knocking him out instantly. Eileen cast a quick stupefy at the two that were left and then a strong sleeping spell to knock them out. She also wiped the last five minutes out of their brains, she didn't bother, nor care, to put fake memories or give them any excuse.  

She rushed in the room, it smelled like blood, flesh and death, but she didn't care. She was only searching for one person. She searched half the room while Tobias looked in the other. He was looking a bit green before his face turned completely white and went for her.  

"I found him," His voice was somber, for a moment she thought he found him dead.  

She rushed to the bed where a lone back figure was laid upon. As she got closer she could make out his face and body.  

He has never looked so bad in his life. 

His skin was beyond pale due to the loss of blood, his hair was matted down to his head and he had a huge barley closed snake bit on the left side of his neck, it has bled so much that his robes were soaked in it as well was his sheets.  

He was clearly in a coma like state, the healers couldn't find an antivenom powerful enough to counter Nagini's poison so they just applied bezoar in his system to keep the poison from spreading and left him in such state, leaving him to die slowly. 

She felt tears stream down her face as she watched he boy in such state. A million thought ran through her head. Will she even have chance to heal him? Will he even survive? Will anyone ever know the truth? Out of all the questions, she knew one thing for certain. 

He wasn't going to stay here. 

But how to get him out? 

"Now what?" She asked no one in particular.  

_"We rushed in like some reckless Gryffi_ _ndor without even a plan to back us up."_ She cleared her mind of unnecessary thought to be able to think straight. _"It's common_ _knowledge that you can't_ _apparate_ _."_ Her eyes widened. _"But if that's so, how was I able to get us here...?"_  

Most likely the wards were knocked down at the attack, but they haven't bothered to put them back up? It does take a lot of time and power to establish a strong anti-apparation ward, and with so many injured they needed to move people as quickly as possible.  

She made up her mind and turned to Tobias. "We will be apparating out, hold on to Sev as I hold on to you." 

"You sure about this, love?" Tobias face was full with worry. "We don't have enough magical equipment to heal him, wouldn't it be best to leave him with the medics?" 

Eileen's face hardened. "No! They don't give a damn about him, and even so, they have no cure for him, they would just leave him like this to suffer before they let him die!" Her black eyes flashed with fury and hate as she said this. "There is no potion they have that I can't make, I may not be at Severus' level, but I am quite the Potions Mistress." She took a deep breath and looked down to the floor. "But even with that, there is no potion that could help him. I have an idea, but none of the hospital's personal would even consider it. There is no guarantee it will work, but I need to try." 

Tobias reached out to touch his wife's cheek, she looked up and he gave her a reassuring smile, "I believe in you." 

She nodded and smiled a bit. Tobias let go of her cheek and carefully put his arms around his son, one arm under his knees and the other under his neck, he lifted him bridal style. He was surprised at how light he was.  

Eileen grabbed her husband's shoulder and with a crack they were gone.... 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? How is it? Should I continue? Should I not? Answer me in the comments. And if any of you have any questions about this new universe don't be afraid to ask.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again! Remember to read the notes in the end!

Eileen flipped franticly through her old family book. She needed to find the right ritual. She quickly skimmed the pages until she found the correct one. 

 _Fac_ _horologium_ _est_ _e converso._  

It was risky, she knew that, but it was the fastest way to cure her son and every second they waited he was closer and closer to death. If not done right, it could lead to terrible side effects, even if she got it done correctly there was no telling what the end result would be. 

But she had to try. 

She quickly ran to the living room where Tobias set Severus on the couch. "Toby, I found the right one, first we need to get the matirials, a knife (any one), six candles, a bowl, and I need you to push all the furniture to the sides of the room to make space, the set Severus on the floor in the middle of the room.  

He nodded and did what he was told, she on the other hand got all the things necessary. Once they had Severus laying on the floor they put the six candles around him to create a small circle that was only big enough to fit the three of them. 

"Tobias, I need you to  do exactly what I tell you in the moment I tell you, I will not be able to give you instructions once we start so listen carefully..." 

She shut all the curtains and turned off all the lights. Tobias lit the candles and stepped in to the circle. 

She shivered as the doubts in her head were stronger than ever, _"I can do this."_ She looked over to the circle and stepped inside. _"For Severus._ " 

She kneeled down and hung her head. 

 _"_ _S_ _aeva_ _fata_ _i_ _figere_ _eo_ _quod_ _habetis_ _factum."_ She chanted in a deep voice, the instant the ritual began the room got darker and the candles started melting in an unnatural rate.  

"Ego non potestis figere damnum fecit." The melted wax fell to the floor, instead of spreading in different directions it all started to form a line connecting one candle to another.  

" _Fac_ _horologium_ _est_ _e converso_ _."_  

She took the knife in front of her and slashed her palms above a small white bowl, warm red blood started to ooze out in an alarming rate, yet she didn't flinch. She let the blood drip into the bowl and then removed her hand once she was satisfied with the quantity. She gave the bowl to her husband who did the same.  

 _"_ _Gratias_ _sanguinem_ _meum_ _,"_ Tobias splashed the bowl full of blood all over his son's body. _"_ _Gratias_ _vis_ _meum_ _."_ The candle's fire flared, but it did not give light. Eileen felt the energy leave her body, but she didn't care right now. She was almost done. 

 _"_ _Solve_ _fasciculos_ _ad_ _dampnum_ _,"_ She lifted her head and gave everything she hade left into the spell. 

 _"_ _Convertat_ _horologium_ _tergum."_  

 

000000000000000000 

 

There was a flash a blinding white light, Tobias had to cover his eyes. When he opened them he saw his wife waver and he grabbed on to her before she fell to the floor. The dark force that was there before was gone and the candle's flame was put out, signifying the ritual ending.  

Tobias let his eyes fall on the space where his son was, the dark man was gone, in his place was a pile of black clothing. Tobias couldn't think, was his son...gone? 

Eileen shakily crawled over to the pile of dark clothing, she seemed to fear seeing what has happened to their son but they had to check. She carefully grabbed a fistfull of cloth and pulled it out of the pile. She gasped at the sight before her and Tobias' eyes widened.  

There, in the pile of clothes, slept Severus Snape, no longer looking at the brick of death and perfectly healthy. 

Only, he was twenty years younger. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo? How was it? Anyway, I'm pretty sure you know what has happened here, and if not here are the translations of the chants Eileen said. 
> 
> "I need to fix what cruel fate has done." 
> 
> "I am not able to fix the damage caused." 
> 
> "Make the clock reverse." 
> 
> "I give my blood." 
> 
> "I give my strength." 
> 
> "To undo the damage," 
> 
> "Turn back the clock." 
> 
> It doesn't sound right if you read them like that but once you put them in the paragraph and you get yourself a dark ritual. It is considered dark magic and blood magic, we have all seen the power of a mother's love in the Harry Potter series so something this powerful could be done, sure Eileen didn't need to kill herself but she gave a great part of her magic and energy as well as Tobias', well not the magic part but you know what I mean. A father's love is just as powerful as a mother's in my opinion. 
> 
> Also, they just wanted to reverse the effects of time on Severus, not make him unkillable.


	4. Chapter 4

Tobias was very, very busy making lemon tea. Really, it was the only tea he could make that didn't taste like poison or gets burnt (How he managed to burn it remains a mystery). Tobias let the tea cool a bit as he sat down on the kitchen table. Normally his wife would be here making sure he wasn't a fire hazard for the kitchen, but recently she has been cooped up in her son's old bedroom with said boy.  

Severus had yet to wake up. 

And that's what really scared him. I didn't matter that his son was younger, so long as he was healthy. Eileen cast a diagnosing charm on him and she happily declared he was almost completely healthy, she also found out that his body's age was 14 years and 9 nine days old. A bit older than he would have guessed, but what did he know. His wife just said he was resting because the ritual took a lot of energy and magic from both her and Severus, and since Severus was so weak from the poisoning he suffered from extreme magical exhaustion.  

_"It has only been two days,"_ Tobias reminded himself. _"He will wake once he's ready."_  

Of course, that didn't help the feeling that maybe they did the ritual wrong and he might never wake up. 

_"No, Severus_ ** _will_** _make it. He has to."_  

Tobias decided to stop stalling and carried the tea tray upstairs to his wife. He managed to open the door while balancing the tray with one hand.  

 

000000000000000000000000000 

 

Eileen brushed a few stray hairs out of her son's face.  

_"He looks so young,"_  

She knew the ritual she used was made so the body would go the a state it was before but she didn't think it would go back so much time. Magic such as that is completely unpredictable and uncontrollable, she was lucky it worked at all.  

She sighed and leaned back in her chair that was next to Severus' bed. There wasn't much to do now, only wait and pray he wakes up soon.  

Her head shot up as she heard the door knob turning, Tobias entered with a soft smile on his face which she returned. He sat in the seat next to her. She gently took the tray from him and set it on the night stand. She took a cup of tea and passed one to Tobias.  

They sipped tea in complete and comfortable silence.  

All they could do was wait. 

"I'm getting sick of this." Tobias muttered. 

Eileen raised an eyebrow. "Of what? The tea?" 

Tobias let out a chuckle and looked at his wife. "No, just sitting here and being useless. You are actually helping our boy but I can't do a thing to help him..." 

"Don't say that." Eileen set her cup on the nightstand and cupped his cheek. "You did everything you could and even with all my magic I couldn't do much either." 

Tobias stayed silent but he gave his wife a grateful smile. He didn't know what he did to deserve her. Before he was about to say as much a voice interrupted them, a voice they have just been dying to hear. 

"Mum? Dad?" The young fourteen year old rubbed his eyes trying to come in focus with his surroundings. "Why am I here? I'm suppose to be in charms class." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to those who reviewed!! Read author's notes for a few explanations!

Severus still couldn't believe it. It has only been a few hours after he woke up in his room. And he still couldn't believe it. His room looked better, like it was fixed and many of his things were moved around, he also noticed when he looked in the mirror that his nose was fixed (the work of his mum, she thought it was about time) not that he minded much. But the real thing that set him off was his parents 

They. Were. _Old!_  

It looked like they gained a decade or two in the few weeks he has left for school after Christmas! The minute he woke up they began fussing over him. The first thing they asked was if he remembered. He gave a brief description of the charms class he was in before he fell asleep, but it didn't seem to be the right thing to say because their faces fell, it was only for a moment, but it was still there.  

He constantly demanded an explanation but his parents decided that only after they made sure he was alright. So after sitting through a number of medical charms they concluded that he only really needed was a few nutation potions and a good diet. After that his parents left the room for a while and locked the door behind them, his mum also put a silencing charm so he wouldn't "over hear." 

Rude. 

If they were talking about him they could at least let him hear what they're saying. 

They came back with an un familiar look on there faces and started to tell him what happened. 

It was quite a story. 

His mother was the one who spoke the most, she knew more details. They told him about his rough time at Hogwarts (as if he didn't already know that), his friendship with Lily ending in his fifth year, Voldemort rising, him being a Death Eater, Lily marring Potter (DAMN YOU POTTER!!), both their deaths (…), their son who survived the killing curse and was destined to fight the Dark Lord, his older self protecting Harry Potter, Voldemort's resurrection they said was somewhere between 1994 and 1996 (they weren't sure), his continued spy job, the final battle and his 'death' at Voldemort's hands. 

It was a lot to take in, he didn't believe it at first, it wasn't possible, well it was but- it couldn't be. His mother had tears in her eye as she cast a Tempos. The result was enough. 

_11:37am, May 5_ _th_ _1998_  

His parents left him alone after that, he needed time to think. He looked out the window to see Spinner's End, it was still the rundown street he remembered but it didn't look quite right, the most noticeable difference was the cars, they were less square like and more modern. As much as he would like to reject it, he was in the future. Or more like he didn't remember the future-present.  

Either way, it was so fucked up. 

_"Well, no point in crying over spilled potion."_ He removed himself from the window and continued to think. _"My mum and dad de-aged me to save my life, the only thing I can do is live with it."_  

But still, the fact that many important and unbelievable things happened up to here and he didn't remember a thing. 

_"At least the whole war is over, if what dad said was true, being a spy took a lot out of me. Voldemort was said to be a mad man so I guess I'm glad I don't remember working for him."_  

But his job was only one of the few things keeping his mind busy, one of the thought that kept coming back to him was a certain redheaded girl from Chokesworth. 

_"Lily."_ He cringed at her name. She was dead. She was gone. He lost her friendship. He betrayed her. 

_"But,"_ A small voice in his head softly whispered. _"She betrayed you too."_   

Severus wanted to deny it. She was his best friend, she wouldn't do something like that. 

But she did. 

She ripped up their friendship over a word. Sure Mudblood is pretty offensive but it's hardly the worst thing you could do to a muggleborn. Many friends get into feuds but make up afterwards, isn't that what a good friendship suppose to be? That no matter how much times you fight, you are still friends in the end? Well, that's not what happened here, his mum carefully said he was being humiliated by James Potter when he said this, she said I tried to apologise but it was to no use. Potter has done so much worse to him and she defended him! Sooo, if we fallow Lily's ideology, it's okay to marry the tormenter of your best friend who called they names, physically attacked them, baited and humiliated them, but It was not alright to forgive you're childhood friend because they called you a mean name in their moment of weakness. 

Severus sighed, maybe Lily wasn't as perfect as he thought she was. Although it didn't matter anymore, she's dead. The most he could do is honour her memory. 

Severus got up from bed and decided to head down. There was a lot he still didn't know, but he will catch up giving time, for now he was content with the most relevant information he has now.  

Who knows? With no financial crisis, no Marauders and no Dark Lords roaming in the horizon, maybe life will be better this time around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you sooo much for those who reviewed!!! I'm sure you all know by now that it is important to read the notes in the end. As I said before, I really hate Lily, and I imagen adult Sev pretty much forgeting about her, but this young Severus still has her for a best friend and he developed a bit of a crush too, of course when he found out she believed he would be a mass murdering Death Eater and left him only to marry James Potter kinda opened his eyes a bit. Of course he won't just hate her from now on, no he will just carefully orginize his emotions and get over her eventually. 
> 
> Now another thing, in my story I mentioned a 'financial crises'. Well I wanted to clear that up, the Snape family never had much money, Tobias Snape was it's sole provider and he worked in the mill in Spinner's End. They had enough to live comfortably, but not to afford luxuries, they could pay Severus' school bill because the minute Eileen found out she was pregnant she opened an account in Gringotts and deposited little by little until he was old enough to go. 
> 
> In 1971 the mill closed down and fired a lot of people, Tobias being one of them. He struggled finding a new job that had a decent pay and he often had to work two different low paying jobs just to pay the bills. Since they had little to no money they had to save as much as they could buying second hand robes and the cheapest materials. This gave Severus the 'dirty, poor and unkept' look. 
> 
> It wasn't until 1976 that Tobias found a stable job, but by then Severus was in his sixth year and he didn't mind reusing everything, he only had two years left and it would be a waste anyway.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I hit a two (or three) way path. I need you all to help. To see details, visit the end notes. SUPER IMPORTANT!

Eileen tended to keep herself busy while she thinks. While slicing some potatoes, her thoughts drifted to the boy on the second floor. They decided not to hid anything important from him (he wouldn't know the details until he was older) it will only come to bite them back latter on. 

She sighed, _"I should have anticipated this. If it_ _de_ _-_ _ages_ _his body, why not his mind?"_  

She felt a pang in he heart when he admitted that he couldn't remember anything from the past two decades. Everything that happened, everything he has done, he doesn't remember. It will be difficult for him to adjust, many things change in twenty five years, even if he does who's to say he will accept it? What if... 

What if he wasn't the same person he was before? 

What if he didn't grow up to be the man he was?  

It sickened Eileen that she kept on thinking like this, this was her own son she was talking about! Don't get her wrong she loves her son more than she loves herself, but a part of her felt as if he was gone. That he died. 

"Elle? I don't like that face, it's never good to keep things bottled up." Tobias said calmly, he had been studying his wife for the past few minutes and it was enough to see that her current train of thought wasn't good.  

Eileen sighed as she slumped her shoulders in exhaustion. "I'm fine." She didn't even turn around to face him. 

Tobias' eyebrows shot up, "Reeeeally," his voice was layered with sarcasm. "You know for a moment there I almost believed you."  

"Oh, shut up." She muttered, annoyed, but with no real ill intention. 

Tobias ignored her annoyance however. "Come on, if you don't let it out it will continue to eat you from the inside." As he said this he made himself comfortable on the chair of the kitchen table, a sign that clearly stated that he wasn't going anywhere.  

Knowing that her son got his stubborn streak from his father, Eileen gave in. "It's Sev." She said softly as she coved the boiling pot letting it's insides cook. "I don't know how we are going to deal with all of this." She took the seat directly in front of her husband's and buried her face in her hands. 

"There is no need to worry," Tobias said softly. "We will figure this out, Severus was always a bright kid and he was even a mini-adult at times. You'll see in a few month's time he will know everything there is to know about the last thirty years." 

Eileen looked up, smiling at the memory of an even younger Severus buried in books, determined to know all there is about magic even before getting his Hogwarts letter. Yes, no doubt he will memorise all the information he thought worth while. 

"It's not just that," She confessed, he smile vanishing. "I love Severus, there are no words to explain how much, but, what if he doesn't grow up to be the same person he was a month ago? What if he will be a completely different person? I love the boy upstairs, I really, really do. But I can help the feeling that we _lost_ our son..." 

"Oh, Eileen." Tobias grasped his wife's hands. "I may not know how magic works, but I do know this." He lifted Eileen's head so that he could look into her eyes. "That boy upstairs is our boy, he will grow to be stronger, smarter and braver than he was before. Why? Because he is Sev. He could be hit by a boulder and he would just sneer at it, get up, dust off his robe and be ready for the next one. They are the same, only this time he won't get hurt anymore, he won't be in the middle of a stupid war that demanded his life. He gave everything to protect his friends, students and us. Now it's our turn to protect him."  

Eileen got up from her chair and kissed the love of her life, she felt a weight she didn't know was there get off her shoulders. Of course he was right, it was Severus they were talking about, he could get through anything with his wit and sheer will. They will be just fine.  

"Now, I would love to continue this," Tobias said once his lungs couldn't take the lack of oxygen anymore, his voice was filled with mirth and he chuckled. "But I did come here for a reason." His face got serious as he let go of his wife and pulled a rolled up (and squashed) newspaper from his back pocket.  

Eileen smoothed out the wrinkles on the Daily Prophet before she began to read. 

_Severus Snape, Dark wizard, Death Eater, potion's master, murderer and... a spy for the light? Yes dear citizen, you read that correctly. It seems after all this time Severus Snape was working under_ _Albus_ _Dumbledore's_ _orders even after he killed him, he was an under cover Order member the whole time_ _! How do we know this, you may ask. Well, the B_ _oy-W_ _ho-L_ _ived himself_ _vouched_ _for him._ _According_ _to our_ _sources_ _Harry Potter claimed that the Death Eater gave him memories with vital information with the last of his life's strength!_  

_There were also other memories in the late leader of the Order's_ _pensive, which included Severus Snape in_ _meetings with You-_ _Know_ _-Who and cleverly helping_ _prisoners_ _escape and_ _eva_ _de_ _capture without blowing his cover! Along with a past conversation of Severus Snape_ _discussing_ _the murder of_ _Albus_ _Dumbledore with the man himself!_ _Apparently_ _, our_ _favourite_ _headmaster was dying under an unbreakable curse and was it his late_ _fazes_ _, he felt that if his spy were to kill him, he would gain full trust of the Dark Lord and be able to do more damage that way. There were a few other memories but all of them were unclear._  

_It was also proven with an interview with Dumbledore's_ _port_ _rai_ _t_ _;_  

_"Severus risked his life_ _every time_ _he answered_ _Voldemort's_ _call, he risked being discovered and facing_ _consequences_ _far worse than death. He got through_ _Crucios_ _and various tests of 'loyalty' just to be able to bring vital information we couldn't have won without. The worst thing he suffered through was watching the deaths of those he couldn't save right before his eyes, he was always haunted by them..."_  

_Severus Snape saved hundreds personally_ _and thousands indirectly, he is a dead hero...or so we thought._  

_It appears that Severus Snape_ _surprises_ _us yet again_ _by_ _disappearing_ _from healer's_ _raider_ _b_ _ut not by dying, but by some_ _apposing_ _figures. At the time, Death Eaters were given treatment at an_ _unoccupied_ _classroom guarded by three men, people have claimed that two people covered in dark clothing roamed around the halls before all three men were knocked out and our hero missing._  

_Harry Potter was_ _devastated_ _by the loss and asked for the public's help in locating the lost hero, his parting words were_ _absolutely_ _heart warming;_  

_"I know now that we were all wrong, I have met two very great men in my life, one of them is a Slytherin, and he is the bravest man I will ever meet."_  

_No other member of the Order of the_ _Phoenix_ _commented._  

_If you or any other know the_ _whereabouts_ _of Severus Snape or any_ _suspicion_ _of the two dark figures_ _described_ _, please contact your local_ _auror_ _department_ _immediately_ _..._  

_"Well no wonder they didn't say anything,"_ Eileen thought as she looked at the picture of Harry Potter and the other members when he gave the news. _"They still look like they are getting over the shock of Severus being a good guy."_  

The picture showed various members completely gobsmacked and mouths attached to the floor. She assumes many of the students and public's reaction was no better. 

"They are looking for him." She finally said. Setting down the paper. 

Tobias nodded grimly, "What do you reckon we do?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Tee hee. You all must hate me for leaving you off here. It was getting too long for my liking, unless you all think I should make longer chapters. WARNING: Longer chapters mean slower updates! Anyway it will be longer with this explanation. 
> 
> So, it seems I can only write parts where a person is sad and another comforts them, just check out my other story! (ahh, shameless advertising.) No, but really, I wanted to show that after a huge twist in someone's life happens thing don't just go smoothly, as seen in chapter five with Sev. I think we will have enough angst for now and some real drama starts! 
> 
> That brings me to an important announcement. I was going to make Severus return to Hogwarts and see how long he'll last (and a few other ideas), but PiffyEQ gave me other options I couldn't take my mind off (Btw, PiffyEQ if you're reading this I want to thank you for the review and tell you I often check your favourite's list for more stories because you got such good taste! Not self-flattery) So I am torn in the decision of: 
> 
> A) Sev going to Hogwarts with everyone knowing who he is 
> 
> B) Sev going to Howgarts posing as his own younger brother/cousin but some people might know, I just want a   
> confrontation and reaction, you know. Tell me what you think. 
> 
> C) The Snape family packs up and goes abroad! 
> 
> So I'm letting all of you decide, the first choice to have, hmm seven people vote for it wins. Also I cannot update without your choice because I need to carve out where this is going. So vote fast! The contest is starting...NOW!!!


	7. Chapter 7

Eileen was stumped. What _should_ they do? Before she was able to give a reasonable answer, she heard a pair of foot steps heading down the stairs. Severus testily stepped into the kitchen, not sure of what to do.

She smiled at her son's awkwardness, "Sev, I was just about to call you down. Our late lunch is ready."

The boy relaxed a bit and automatically went to the sink to wash his hands as did Tobias. Once they were clean, Eileen already hade a bowl in their respective places ready and they began to eat. There was a few minutes of silence before Eileen decided to clear a few things up.

"Sev," She said as she set down her spoon. "I know this may seem strange to you, but I want you to know that we are still your parents and we want you to feel comfortable around us-"

"Even _if_ we are older and wrinklier than you remember." Tobias interrupted, he stretched his face dramatically as he said so, which cause both his wife and son to smoother a chuckle.

"And we would like to say we will treat you no different than we did before (when you were fourteen) and there is no need to treat us like strangers."

"Life was pretty dull without you, so face it, your stuck with us." Tobias said jokingly as he ruffled his son's hair. Severus let out a playful cry of dismay and tried to smooth it out.

After that the meal was full of Severus asking many questions about the war, their lives and his own future's life. They answered as best they could, giving out less gruesome details and telling him he would know when he was older. After lunch they told Severus to stay seated as they were going to discus an important decision and they didn't want to drag him into something he didn't want to do.

"Now, I'm sure you know enough of your life as an adult to know the severity of the situation. People are looking for you." Eileen explain gently.

Severus paled a few shades. "Are they going to take me to Azkaban because I was a Death Eater?" He asked a bit shakenly.

Tobias shook his head. "No, they know you were innocent the whole time, they think you're missing now."

Severus frowned. "So, how is this a bad thing?"

Eileen's face turned a bit panicked. "Well, for starters, the members of the Order of the Phoenix might take you away, they seem determined to find you no matter what, the ministry will only see you as a tool and will use the excuse of me and your father using a dark ritual so they could take control of your life, some people could still be blinded in grief and might seek revenge just because you were a Death Eater or a few of the purebloods could attack you in revenge of betraying them."

She sucked in a breath through her teeth and attempted to calm down. "I'm not trying to scare you sweetie, I just want you to know that this is a really important decision."

Severus nodded slowly, finally grasping the situation. Or at least part of it.

"So...What is this decision?" He asked, no point in beating around the bush. If he was in as much trouble as his parents implied they didn't have much time. They needed to act fast while they still had control of the situation.

She shared a look with her husband and seemed to communicate silently before he made up his mind and decided to speak.

"Well, after mulling it over for a while, we started planning the possible outcomes this left us and the course of action we should take. We narrowed it down to tree options. The first is coming clean, we let people find out about your survival and situation. We would have to deal with the public and dodge some legal matters, we would have to modify the truth to avoid any serious punishments and we would live in the wizarding world in a warded house, you would also be under watch until you can at least defend yourself against a dark wizard."

He paused for a moment and then frowned. "We would also have to deal with that Order your mum was talking about and we aren't sure what reaction that would cause."

They knew they wouldn't try to hurt him (most of them anyway), he was a war hero. But that group was known to make some hefty and questionable decisions in the name of the light. They had the power, influence and means to be a force to be reckoned with.

"But," She continued where Tobias left off. "You would be able to go to school openly and you wouldn't have to hide who you are. You would also have a few allies that would help you during your time at Hogwarts."

She gave him a few moments to contemplate the option before going to the second one. "The next choice is that you go to Hogwarts but in a different name, it would be easier to say you are our second son or your own son so we wouldn't have to change how you look or even your surname." She put on a thoughtful look on her face. "The paper work for a new identity isn't as hard as everyone thinks, if you know where to look, so getting them would be relatively easy..."

"But you would have to make up quite a few things." Tobias said. "We would have to invent some pretty lies to cover up any holes other people may find. And you would cause quite a commotion in your world as the son/brother of one of its war heroes so questionings are to be expected and the façade would need to be up for... well I guess we would have to come out someday, but it would be years away." He finished.

Severus nodded, probably thinking that that was a given, and waited for them to continue. Eileen closed her eyes and let her husband give the last option.

"The last, and my personal favourite, is that we pack things up and go abroad!!" Tobias gave a wide grin, his eyes sparkling. He always had a sense of adventure, even though he was a calm kind of guy. "Just think about it! Leaving all those prats in the dust and have a clean slate!" He continued.

She frowned. "It would complicate things to say the least, we would all have new identities and that would cause some suspicion, one unknown person just popping up? Strange. A whole family no one has ever heard of? That would attract some attention."

"And that's why we would move out of Brittan," Tobias interrupted. "No one would really look into us if we just said we were hidden because of the war. We could move to another place that speaks English like the States or Australia, so your school work won't suffer."

Eileen knew Tobias was trying to persuade Severus into picking the third option despite them deciding that Severus and Severus alone would be the one to choose, but she couldn't bring herself to scold him, she had a feeling it would be good for Severus, for _all_ of them, if they were to have a fresh start.

"We would have to take the Prince name." Eileen explained. "A few families of the upper-class would doubt in our legitimacy but the Prince family hasn't been seen in decades and as far as they know we died out."

"But some Purebloods know you married a Muggle and had me." Severus argued.

"We would say we were a distant cousin of the main line of the Princes and that after my disownment and the death of my father the title fell on to us. And the title really does belong to us, you see there really are no other Princes left and my father, on his deathbed, made you his heir so at least someone would continue the line."

"I'm the heir to the Prince fortune?" Severus asked, eyes wide.

Eileen nodded. "Well, you were the head, but since you are underage now that title falls to me, you lifted my disownment a few years back so everything wouldn't fall into the hands of the government if anything would happen to you...." She shook her head, realising that they have strayed from the point of the conversation. "Anyway, it is possible, it's more complicated and we would have to learn a whole new life and live in a new country, we would need to leave everything behind."

"And that brings us to the moment of truth, out of the three options, which one do you recon is the best?" Tobias asked seriously at his son.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Severus tried to process all the information that they had given him, he couldn't help but feel nervous, this decision would dictate how they will live their lives in the future. All options had their pros and their cons.

He was pretty sure he wouldn't pick the first option though, it just had to many consequences and many things could go downhill fast. It would be a relief to not have to analyse every word he said so no one would connect him to his old life but he really didn't know anything about his situation here and that would give him a huge disadvantage and make him easier to fall for other people's manipulations.

So, option one is out. Now, he is stuck in between the last two.

Going to Hogwarts after such an attack had its pros and cons, on one hand people would be suspicious that some kid no one has ever heard of before just started attending the school, no matter how complete the backstory is. They would find a flaw sometime, be it weeks or years after. The same would normally be said for foreign travellers, only during the war many families have travelled to run away from it, he had no doubt that may would do so for a fresh start as well. They would have to make new official papers either way and it would be easier to be recognised if they stayed...but...as bad as the students (and faculty) at Hogwarts had treated him, he still felt a slight pang at the thought of leaving forever. It was the place he learned magic in, made good memories with Lily, and the Forbidden Forest will definitely continue to be his favourite place.

He mentally sighed. He knew he had to move on, he might miss Hogwarts a little, but the bad far outweigh the good in this case. Even if there were no more marauders there still would be prejudice against the Slytherin house, now more than ever. Also, to learn in another country may be an interesting experience, one he might not get another chance with.

With his mind made up, he looked at his parents straight in the eye.

"I pick the third option."

 

**_Heeeeey_ ** **_, I totally forgot I didn't update this one and when I checked when I last did, I saw it was MONTHS ago. So, I formally apologise. Sorry to leave it here, but I will update as soon as I can and with_ ** **_Christmas_ ** **_vacation I have a load of free time!_ **

 

**Author's Note:**

> Like? NO? Pfff...Make sure to read the Author's Notes. I will explain a few details since this is a AU. Some tweeks in the world here and there. Also this is where I answer questions along with the comments so make sure you do that!!


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